Gifted Educator and Founder of the first program providing executive education in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility recognized by University of St. Michael’s College alumni
Dr. Mimi Marrocco (Class of 1969) has received the 2019 Alway Award, an honour in recognition of her decades of service and important contributions to the life and reputation of the College. As her former students and colleagues attest, her work—especially in the area of Continuing Education—has influenced the lives of thousands of people.
Former University of St. Michael’s College President Sr. Anne Anderson, CSJ said Dr. Marrocco “gifted USMC with her passion for Continuing Education.” That passion, Sr. Anne said, yielded “innovative, cutting-edge programs across a broad spectrum of interests,” including “our internationally known Certificate in Corporate Social Responsibility.”
Over 300 participants from across Canada and over 20 countries have gone through the CSR program, and over 250 alumni from the program hold positions as VP, Director, or Manager in CSR and Sustainability capacities.
“Mimi is the heart and soul of the CSR Certificate Program,” CSR Program Manager Kathryn Cooper said. She described Dr. Marrocco’s contribution to the field in Canada as decisive: “Dr. Marrocco developed an innovative collaboration with the Conference Board of Canada to launch in 2002 the first program providing executive education in the field of Corporate Social Responsibility. This program created the platform for the very first developments of the body of knowledge, best practices, mentorship and action learning projects in business for Corporate Social Responsibility.”
As the first recognized, professional University Credential in Canada related to CSR, the St. Michael’s program Dr. Marrocco founded has also created a network of alumni and mentors in the field. Program participants receive mentorship support for 13 months, which helps them achieve first-time success in implementing the CSR/Sustainability projects they undertake during the program. To date, participants have implemented over 200 action-learning projects at their companies and organizations, including numerous CSR, Sustainability and Community Investment strategies.
Dr. Marrocco’s former students describe her as a dynamic leader whose talent for teaching is matched by her care for them. “Mimi is so lovely and insightful,” said one, while another said that Dr. Marrocco “has been instrumental in helping me to open my mind to different perspectives.”
After earning a BA from St. Mike’s, Dr. Marrocco received an MA in 1970 and a PhD in 1978, both from the U of T, where she later taught as a member of the English Department. Dr. Marrocco worked for over a quarter century as Director of Continuing Education at St. Michael’s, and served as faculty leader for the CSR Certificate program.
An industry leader as well as an educator, Dr. Marrocco has served on academic and community boards, including stints as president of both the Ontario Council for Lifelong Learning and the Canadian Association of University Continuing Education.
She has served in many roles for Catholic educational and charitable institutions, and she continues to serve in board and/or committee member roles with organizations such as the Arts and Letters Club or Toronto, the Toronto Hunt Club, and the Advisory Committee of the Canadian Business Ethics Research Network at York University.
Named for past St. Michael’s President Dr. Richard Alway, a member of the USMC Class of 1962 and our first lay president, the Alway Award is given in recognition of alumni whose significant contributions to society bring esteem to them and to the College.
For her pioneering work in the field of Continuing Education in Canada, for her support of the mission of the University of St. Michael’s College, for the way she has helped shape the lives of her students, and for her many other achievements, St. Michael’s is proud to call Dr. Mimi Marrocco one of its own. The Alway Award is a small token of the College’s gratitude for her life and work.
On Friday, June 1, hundreds of alumni and friends of the University of St. Michael’s College came to campus for one of the largest Spring Reunions ever hosted at St. Mike’s. The USMC Advancement and Alumni Affairs teams organized 14 different events scheduled around additional reunion celebrations at the University of Toronto, and in the final count, 675 people attended St. Michael’s special events. This year, honoured classes included those falling on 5-year anniversaries moving back from 2018, and some returning alumni graduated as far back as 1948.
In his remarks at Friday evening’s champagne reception and alumni association AGM, outgoing St. Michael’s President David Mulroney, 7T8 thanked alumni for their continuing loyalty and support. “As we continue to build on the traditions that make St. Mike’s special we are informed and inspired by your memories – of exceptional teachers and our welcoming community within the larger U of T,” he said.
These memories gave the weekend its primary theme. Attendees reminisced and shared stories at each event, and during periods of downtime, many of them browsed a collection of memorabilia displayed in the library. Campus tours reacquainted guests with Elmsley Hall, Sorbara Hall and the Quad, and included a stop at a re-creation of Marshall McLuhan’s office. Book & Media Studies professor Paolo Granata developed the McLuhan office display for Doors Open Toronto the weekend before, and made a number of authentic McLuhan artifacts available for inspection.
Professor Granata also delivered one of three St. Michael’s lectures over the weekend. The McLuhan expert offered guests a “Guide to Surviving the Internet Age” on Saturday morning, while during the afternoon, USMC Principal Randy Boyagoda read excerpts from his latest novel as part of a “Stress-Free Degree” session titled “Writers on Writing.” Christianity and Culture professor Stephen Tardif, 0T6 concluded the academic proceedings for the weekend with a Sunday afternoon lecture on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice that centered on the mischievous question of whether Austen actually desired to be married herself. Each professor spoke to a packed audience with standing room only. A memorial gathering for beloved English professor and noted Austen fan Fred Flahiff followed professor Tardif’s presentation.
In addition to the lectures, tours and special events that fill up the weekend, Spring Reunion is also the time of year for presenting the Alway Award. Established in 2007, the Alway Award is intended to honour a graduate of St. Michael’s who has demonstrated the highest character and made a significant contribution to society through spiritual, professional and personal excellence. This year’s award went to Dr. Peggy R. Williams, 6T8 in recognition of a remarkable career that includes serving as president of both Lyndon State College in Vermont and Ithaca College in New York. At the latter institution, she was the first woman to serve as president.
One other regular St. Michael’s event entered the weekend’s itinerary, as Mass was celebrated twice on campus during the reunion. Professor emeritus Father Dan Donovan, 5T8 presided over a special Mass for the class of 6T8 on Friday morning, and Father Norman Tanck, CSB celebrated the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass in St. Basil’s Church in the presence of an overflow crowd of visiting alumni—some of whom had not been to campus or the church since their undergraduate days.
Standing room only, overflow crowds, packed audiences—the sheer number of guests to campus gave each event a special air of excitement and interest. The class of 6T8 celebrated the 50th anniversary of their graduation with record numbers of attendees, some of whom traveled from as far away as California and the UK. In their student days, Father Robert Madden, CSB dubbed them “the class with brass.” After raising more than $125,000 to support the Brennan Hall renewal project—nearly twice their original goal for the anniversary milestone—it was easy for all to see the spirit and camaraderie that earned them the title.
The class of 5T8 came together to celebrate their own anniversary at a Friday afternoon reception graciously hosted by Ann Marie Sweeney with the support of fellow year reps Frank and Mary Pat Kielty. Cheers went up for the class at the dinner on Saturday. The presence of these alumni on campus was reason enough to celebrate, but their gifts of over $122,000 to the Brennan Hall renovation (a project their class had also chosen to support) provided a second reason for cheering: the investment in the lives and experiences of future St. Michael’s students.
The largest ovation at the Saturday dinner, however, was reserved for a small but important group. Four members of the class of 4T8 made the trip to St. Michael’s this year to celebrate the 70th anniversary of their graduation, a truly remarkable milestone and wonderful point of connection with a vaunted era in the history of the College.
That history continues, as outgoing President Mulroney said on Friday evening: In a new era at St. Michael’s, “we are informed and inspired by your memories.” This year provided an occasion for many new and joyous memories to be made.
Special thanks go out to St. Michael’s staff Leslie Belzak, Melanie Waring-Chapman, Matt Doyle and their student assistants, whose work in organizing and carrying out this year’s Reunion testified in its own way to the spirit and character of the College—a place that will always welcome its alumni home.